South Okanagan bird count

Photo: Contributed - Dick Cannings

A participant in a past Apex-Hedley count

Hawk-eyed volunteers in the South Okanagan have begun braving weather conditions to count birds during the annual Christmas Bird Count.

Every year the counts, conducted both here and across Canada, utilize the power of volunteers to track the health of the populations at a scale that professional scientists could never accomplish alone.

Data compiled will record every individual bird and bird species seen in a specific area, contributing to a vast citizen science network that continues a tradition stretching back more than 100 years.

"This is not just about counting birds," said Dick Cannings, coordinator for all Canadian counts at Bird Studies Canada. "Data from the Christmas Bird Count is at the heart of hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific studies and inform decisions by Environment Canada and provincial wildlife managers across Canada.

Because birds are early indicators of environmental threats to habitats we share, this is a vital survey of North America and, increasingly, the Western Hemisphere."

Penticton birders did their count on Dec. 14, the first day of the count period. Other are scheduled in the South Okanagan in the weeks ahead.

Ninety eight species of birds were seen, which is just above the long term average for the count.

Highlights included a young Peregrine Falcon that was first seen in Naramata, then spotted again in downtown Penticton.

Record numbers of European Starlings (11,898) and Bohemian Waxwings (7,849) have been reported.

The Apex-Hedley count took place on Dec. 16. That count is done mostly at high elevations and only 45 species were tallied, but one of those was a rare sighting of a White-tailed Ptarmigan near the Nickel Plate ski trails.

There are also come upcoming bird counts in the South Okanagan:

Dec. 20 in Cawston

Dec. 21 in Vaseux Lake, and Kaleden to North Oliver

Dec. 27 in Osoyoos-Oliver

Jan. 3 in Bridesville

Jan. 4 in Princeton

Those participating in any of the counts, can reach Cannings at (250) 493-3393.